Backyard-chicken workshop set

Raising chickens in the backyard will be the topic of a free Backyard Conservation Workshop set for noon Sunday at the Fairfield Public Library.

Raising chickens in backyards in town has become increasingly popular for reasons, such as low-cost sustenance, relatively low-maintenance, bug control and ?awesome? fertilizer, according to Fairfield sustainability coordinator Scott Timm.

Timm said the popularity of having chickens in Fairfield has risen since the city council said it was OK for residents to have up to 10 chickens.

The one-hour Backyard Chickens for Beginners workshop will be an introductory panel-style workshop, followed by a self-guided tour of some coops in Fairfield from 1-3 p.m.

The panel members will be Andrew Edlin, Will Merydith, Kim Keller and Timm. Their coops will be on the self-guided tour.

Examples of poultry products and coops will be displayed, and chicks will be available for purchase.

Timm said Keller will have 50 Amerikaun chicks to sell for $3 each.

No preregistration is required for the workshop.

It is one of 23 workshops planned this spring to help Fairfield residents lead more sustainable lives. Eighteen organizations partnered to develop the educational programming on a wide range of topics, and local sponsors and businesses have covered registration costs so all of the educational workshops are free. Local experts will lead many of the sessions, which will be held at various locations across the community.

Information about the workshops is available at the website www.fairfieldgogreen.com by clicking on ?Backyard Conservation.?